Allen d



(No Model.)

A. D. LINN & R. W. IRWIN.-

roo'r BOARD FOR CHAIRS. I

No. 576,205. v Patented Feb, 2, 18 97.

Jd'egt' merizans flfm flzlen ZZZrinIz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN D. LINN AND ROBERT W. IRWIN, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORSTO THE GRAND RAPIDS SCHOOL FURNITURE COMPANY, OF

SAME PLACE.

FOOT-BOARD FOR CHAIRS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,205, dated February2, 1897.. Application filed May 21,1896. Serial No. 592,444. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALLEN D. LINN and ROBERT W. IRWIN, citizens of theUnited States,residing at Grand Rapids,in the county of Kent and Stateof Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foot-Boards for Chairs, &c., of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Our invention relates to the foot-boards ordinarily used in connectionwith chairs which are arranged side by side, as in theaters, churches,and like situations, the chairs being connected and braced by means ofboards at the rear, which also serve the purpose of foot-rests for thepersons occupying the row of seats immediately in the rear.

Heretofore, so far as we are aware, it has been customary to make thechairs with the standards having openings formed therein during casting,through which the foot-boards were passed, and the experience has beenthat this construction calls for a great deal of labor, as it amounts tostringing a series of chairs upon the boards, requiring a waste of timeand money in fitting the boards to the different circles which theconnected chairs are required to assume. \Ve have aimed to overcome allthese numerous and serious 0bjections by casting the standards with anopen mortise or recess adapted to receive the foot-board, the boardbeing secured in the said recess or mortise by a locking device veryreadily applied and as easily removed when its removal becomes necessaryor desirable.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated our invention, Figure 1representing a section of the standard, showing the foot-board attachedby one kind of fastening, while Fig. 2 is a view taken from the rear ofFig. 1, showing the same kind of fastening device. Fig. 3 is a sectionon the line a a of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a section on line b b of the samefigure. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a different form offastening; is a rear view of Fig. 5. on line a c of Fig. 5.

Instead, as has been the custom heretofore, of casting mortises in thestandards for reand Fig. 6 Fig. 7 is a section ceiving the foot-boards,we form the standard F with the recess in its rear face adapted toreceive the foot-board a. The recess is of such a depth as to receivethe foot-board snugly, so that the face of the board is flush with therear face of the standard F. The standard is provided with a T-flange Vat the rear, as shown in Fig. 3, and this flange is cut away at thepoints b, Fig. 2, so as to reduce its width, and immediately below therecess, at the point a, the flange is made tapering, as also shown inFig. 2. After the foot-board has been inserted in the recess we look itin place by means of a clamp, shown at L, (Figs. 1 and 2,) this clampbeing of a suitable length to extend over the recess in the standard,its ends being provided with flanges on each edge, and these flanges areadapted to engage and grip the edges of the flanges upon the standard.The clamp is located in position by engaging its lower end with theflanges of the standard at the bottom of the recess, and at this pointthe upper end is in line with the reduced portion b of the flange V,which at this point is of less width than the opening between theoverhanging edges of the upper end of the clamp, and thus it readilyengages with the flanges, and as the clamppiece is moved downward theparts are securely locked and there is no danger of displacement. Noscrews or other fastening devices are necessary, but instantly the boardis securely fastened.

In order to take up any slackness or looseness that there may be, weprovide a wedgeseat 01 in the casting in one wall of the recess, asshown at T, and by driving a Wedge in this seat the board is preventedfrom having any movement which might be caused by shrinkage or otherreasons.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 we show a modified form of the fastening device. Inthis the standard is provided with a recess for the foot-board, andprojecting from the rear of the standard are tWo ears w, and after thefoot-board has been positioned in the recess a dowel S is passed throughopenings in the ears w, as shown in Fig. 5, and this prevents anydisplacement of the foot-board. The dowel is headed as shown. We may usewith this form the same wedge-piece as indicated at T.

Instead of making a recess in the standard, as shown in Fig. 5, the earsto may be prolonged to form small brackets of a sufiicient depth toreceive the foot-board and dowel for holding it in place.

YVhat we claim is- 1. In combination with a standard having a recess inits rear and adapted to receive the foot-board, a holding device forclosing the open side of said recess, and a wedge-piece located betweenthe foot-board and the standard, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the standard hav- ALLEN D. LINN. ROBERT W. IRWIN.lVitnesses:

L. T. GIBsoN, J. H. MEGREW.

